


Fragile World

by Cyanecromancer



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Romance, Dark Thoughts, Emotional Hurt, F/F, F/M, Forbidden Love, Gore, Jake is conflicted, Jayers, Killer x Survivor, Love Triangle, M/M, Pre-Endgame Collapse, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Tragic Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-04-07 16:15:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19088581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanecromancer/pseuds/Cyanecromancer
Summary: The world Jake Park has come to the know is shattered with a chance encounter in the fog outside of the trials, and the burden he faces between choosing a psychopathic killer and Dwight Fairfield is unbearable. Michael Myers is a relic of the horrors in Haddonfield and Jake knows he shouldn't care about the murderer the way he does.A taste of the dark awaiting them all changes Jake's perception of the world around him.Shit summary. Sorry.





	1. Premonition

**Author's Note:**

> People of the Fog, 
> 
> Hello and welcome to my attempt to get back into creative writing. I have a vague idea of how I want this story to pan out regarding the relationships I have planned and the actions our main characters will take. I have a feeling that this story will be disappointing to some and fascinating for others, so I look forward to the comments you folks will hopefully leave as the storyline progresses. 
> 
> As always, my works tend to be on the darker side and explore the human psyche and Dead by Daylight is very much a horror-based game, so please be ready for canon-typical violence, torture, and gore. There will also be sex scenes described in detail. I wouldn't advise reading any further if these things bother you. 
> 
> Finally, I want to thank anyone who reads this for giving it a shot. I do appreciate any feedback and general comments regarding the story. Ultimately this is an exploration of my own mind as I try to re-develop my style for fiction-based writing so if the style of the fic changes or you notice new edits, that is why. 
> 
> Thank you all again and enjoy the story.
> 
> -Cyanecromancer

The crackling embers and warmth of the campfire at the center of them was a deceptive comfort that they could rely on almost as much as they relied on each other during the trials. Sometimes it was enough of a home to come back to when they reentered the fog after being disassembled and remodeled by the Entity after a particularly gruesome death. It seemed to be happening more frequently to them and with more devastating effect than they had previously experienced with the killers who were trapped with them.

Jake stared into the glowing flames intently, just barely paying attention to the Swede seated beside him on the log.

“…the Trapper has it out for me recently. That fucker hits me every single time I get stuck in his bear traps. It’s total bullshit.” Nea raised both hands in a manner that spoke to her frustration. “I seriously hate that motherfucker.”

“I’m sorry Nea,” Claudette empathized softly. “Maybe something’s changed with his style?”

Nea growled. “He literally only does it to me! How’s that fair? I haven’t gone out of my way to be an asshole to him specifically.”

“You could try _not_ getting trapped by an idiot brute.”

Jake blinked at the harsh statement and it took him a moment to realize that it was he who said it. It didn’t surprise him, but the pain from being punched in the meat of his bicep did. Across from him, Quentin and Laurie looked perturbed at the aggression and exchanged glances with each other. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, shooting her a rather annoyed glare. “You've been way more reckless and acting like a moron yourself.”

“Fuck you.” Nea returned the glare with animosity. “You wanna add anything else?”

The crackling of the fire was dominant as no one immediately spoke, unsure if a fight between their best saboteur and evader was imminent. The glow of the fire brought out the harsh angles of the Swede’s vexed expression and Jake’s tense stare. Jake knew that he wouldn't get physical with Nea as his strict upbringing taught him that physical harm against women was abhorrent, possibly the one thing his parents did right. At most he would simply restrain her until she gave up the fight like the first time she attempted to pick a fight with him upon arriving to the Entity's realm. The Swede had thrashed and swore at him until her eyes were teary and her cheeks were red with shame and fear all the same. Jake had taken her in his arms in a rare moment of shared vulnerability and promised that he would do everything he could to protect her. The experience of arriving together in their eternal Hell had bonded them.

It took their most nervous member shifting uncomfortably before Nea sighed and slung her arm over Jake’s shoulder, much to the saboteur’s distaste. She remembered their first fight vividly and she didn't like fighting with the one person who had seen her at the lowest point of her life and promised to tell no one. 

“We’re joking around. He has a pretty good point anyway; I’ve been getting caught way more than I should be.” Nea frowned and turned her focus back to the fire, more somber and reflective of her behavior during the trials. “Been too reckless I guess.”

Jake nodded absently in agreement with both statements and Meg moved in a little closer to touch her friend’s shoulder.

“It’s alright Nea. It happens but we should all be working on being more careful. Doesn’t it seem like the killers are getting more bloodthirsty?” Meg eyed them all. “I can’t be the only one noticing it.”

Kate, who was leaning against a tree close to the fire, nodded. “The Clown took three of my fingers in my last trial when he killed me. Since when does that happen? The mori is always the same with every survivor as far as we’ve all seen.”

There was more silence and Jake felt the need to address them to possibly reassure them in some way.

“We can’t be sure of that.” Jake lifted his gaze to eye the blonde. “But it’s plausible. If they are getting more bloodthirsty there has to be a reason behind it, and we know what the primary reason for anything around here is.”

“The Entity,” Claudette sighed. “It might be influencing them which means we need to be ready and prepare better for the trials.”

Feng Min, quiet throughout the whole night and a victim of the last trial’s most recent brutal killing, stood up quickly with a scowl and her eyebrows drawn together in dark thought.

“How? How do we prepare for these trials any better than what we already do? Ah— _shit_.” The Asian grimaced with the throbbing pain that started in her abdomen and crawled to her chest with heavy intensity; the Hag had reserved her mori for the lithe technician after pulling her off the last generator needed to power the exit gates. Claudette stood and took hold of her arm as gently as possible.

“I know—it’s hard and I’m sorry. Let me look at your injuries again, please?” She offered the other woman a sympathetic look, the one that always made them give in to her care and Feng Min nodded reluctantly. The two drifted away from the fire towards the tents they were afforded by the Entity and Dwight stared at Jake in an attempt to get his attention. It was no secret that the former store manager had some feelings for the group’s sabotage expert.

“Hey Jake, how do we prepare for this? If you’re right and the Entity is causing them to get more savage towards us…what can we realistically do?”

The saboteur shrugged to dislodge Nea’s arm from his shoulder. “Be more cautious with our saves. Try to bring back better supplies from the trials we do survive. Those are realistic.”

Nea nodded in agreement, moved her arm back to Jake’s shoulder, and shot Dwight a sideways glance to see if he was watching. “You owe me a toolbox, by the way.”

“I know. I grabbed it before we left so paws off.” Jake shifted a few inches away from her which made Dwight smile for a few seconds. He knew that Nea was aware of his crush on Jake and she loved to make him acknowledge it despite that fact that was definitely hyperaware of his own feelings.

Jake looked between them with a frown and then shook his head before standing. “I’m going for a walk.”

“I’ll come with you?” Dwight quickly offered without thought, surprising himself and the others around the campfire.

“Um…” Jake turned his head away, licking his lower lip in thought. He desperately needed alone time from the tense atmosphere of the group. “Maybe another time Dwight? I was hoping to be alone for a while.”

The disappointment was evident on his face, but Dwight twisted his hands together and nodded. “Okay. Be careful.”

Jake offered him a small smile in thanks, and it was enough to make the other man’s face flush attractively and avert his gaze to the ground. Then he turned from the fire and walked to the edge of the woods, pausing with a hesitant step into the foggier landscape before fully immersing himself in it, quickly disappearing from sight.

Nea turned and poked Dwight square in the chest once Jake was gone. “That’s how you get a man. Keep it up and you might be sucking his dick by next week pizza boy.”

“Nea!” Dwight hissed and waved his arms comically to suggest that there was in fact no plan to suck his crush’s dick.

Nea knew better.

Kate snorted and moved to cuddle up to a sleeping David and slipped herself under the weight of his arm. Dwight watched the action and chewed on his lip, some part of his mind wandering back to Jake and the idea of being able to do that with the other made him crack his fingers nervously. He looked to Nea for direction but found that the streetwise hooligan of a woman was cozying up to Meg for attention. He then found himself staring at the spot where Jake had been sitting just moments ago and looked to the woods where the man had disappeared to.

A part of Dwight wanted to go after Jake and make sure that he wasn’t entirely alone in the woods. He could tell the fog was especially thick tonight through the gleams of moonlight that passed through the trees. What if Jake got lost or hurt somehow?

A silly thought, really. The man had been living on his own for quite some time apparently; a true loner. A solitary survivalist.

Laurie and Quentin noticed how anxious Dwight seemed to be since Jake's departure to the woods and they both got up to sit beside him. The blonde woman put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "He'll be alright. He's always out there during the day when he's not...you know."   
  
Quentin nodded. "Yeah, and he's lived out in the wilderness for some time. He's probably been out in the woods after dark. Don't worry too much about Jake. He can take care of himself." 

"I know you're both right. But I care a lot about him. There's something strange going on here... something is going to happen and deep down we all know it. No one should be alone right now." Dwight folded his arms over his chest and mulled over the possibilities. The Entity was planning something for them. It was just a matter of time before the surprise was revealed to them in a horror show, he was sure. 

Laurie sighed and leaned against Quentin; she had found her own comfort in this Hellish realm. The former student smiled softly in return and then looked into Dwight's face. "You really like Jake don't you?" 

Dwight shot him a nervous look and then lowered his gaze to the fire. It kind of reminded him of the reclusive saboteur with how it softly crackled, occasionally flickering and shooting sparks of fire into the air as if agitated. "...yeah. I like him a lot." 

"Give it time. I have this hunch that he's probably into guys. I know I saw that smile he sent your way earlier." 

The leader chuckled softly. "Don't get my hopes up Quentin. He was probably just being nice." 

"Still, I think you should try for him. A guy like that is a real catch I think. You want someone who actually listens to you and doesn't talk just to have their voice heard. Jake seems to be like that, you know? He speaks when needed and I think that deep down he cares a lot about the things important to him." 

Laurie looked between the two. "There's no harm in trying while we're hostages in this realm, Dwight. Take things slow with him though. I doubt he's ever had any type of relationship with anyone that wasn't family." 

Dwight nodded and folded his arms over his chest, immediately turning their words of encouragement over in his head again and again until a jumbled mess of thoughts formed. It was true that they were all hostages in the Entity's realm for its own sick amusement but would that be the case forever? How long did the ancient being plan on keeping them as pets in its horror game? If they were eventually freed of their prison, Dwight could only assume that they would be returned to the places they were taken from. What were the chances that he and Jake even lived in the same state? The saboteur never spoke of the area he was from and it was probably for a good reason; he didn't want to be found after this Hell was over. 

If it would ever be over. 

Laurie and Quentin eventually retired to their shared tent after exchanging a series of "goodnights" with the remaining survivors, leaving Dwight alone on the log with only his disappointing thoughts and the fire for company. His thoughts returned to the man he had grown so fond of and he tried to keep Laurie and Quentin's words in his mind. Jake was a grown man despite being younger than him and he knew the woods better than anyone else in their group so far. 

Jake was going to be fine and with that mantra echoing in his head, Dwight occupied himself with gathering rusted tools to put together for a decent toolbox. 

He worked and waited but as more time passed, he found he couldn’t take it anymore; the thought of Jake lost alone in the woods frightened him. Something in the Entity’s realm wasn’t quite right—when was it ever? Still, there was something that was deviating from the normal that he knew and it scared him. 

Dwight made his swift exit from the campfire and took his first steps into the woods when the feeling of absolute dread struck him. His heart immediately began to strain and thump in his chest wildly and sweat was beginning to collect at his brow.

Someone—rather, _something_ —was in the woods with them.

Dwight used the back of his hand to wipe some of it away and pressed his lips in a tight line. He knew that he should tell the others but raising a false alarm would only piss the group off and set them on edge more than they already were.

He had to find Jake and make sure he was alright as a priority before possibly raising the idea that they weren’t alone in the only safe space they knew. It was also the thought of Jake fearful and alone, or possibly injured or worse, that made his skin clammy and head race with vivid imagery resembling the gore he’d experienced thus far in the trials.

He would never forgive himself.


	2. The Reaper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had a scene in mind for this chapter for about a week now. I just wasn't sure how I wanted to flesh it all out with the atmosphere I wanted for this chapter. I've intentionally left a lot of vague detail regarding the motivations of the Entity that may or may not be resolved in future chapters; I'm undecided if an explanation would add anything to the work or detract from it. I obviously have my own idea as to what the Entity is doing--it doesn't necessarily have a grand importance. The Entity is just a dick. A massive, spidery dick. 
> 
> I will say that yes, the Entity is messing with Jake's perception (and a little bit with Dwight's) and his ability to think clearly. But it's not controlling his actions; it's actually making him act out on his desires for its own amusement. Again, massive spidery dick.
> 
> Also, I wrote this between the hours of 2 and 4 am. There's probably misspellings littered throughout that I'm too tired to beta read for. I'll be going back in the next day or so to double check; I'm just fried right now. 
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy some unresolved (?) sexual tension between Jake and Dwight. There's more to be had later. And be warned for there is gore and graphic shit ahead. Yeet.

This is so beautiful, Jake thought to himself.

The moment was picturesque and vaguely reminded him of the woods from home. Between the thick trunks of trees, moonlight was beaming to the ground and illuminating odd shapes of the underbrush by his feet. Small eyes glinted in the reflection and then disappeared into darkness with soft rustling.

The saboteur froze then, unsure of himself and the sudden adoration he felt for the woods. The fog.

“…fuck. It’s late.” Jake turned with a sigh, casting his gaze ahead on the trail he was walking. The other survivors would be worried—especially Dwight—if he didn’t turn up soon for his watch. It seemed odd that they even had an established watch since it was apparent that facing the killers was a task meant for the Entity’s trials only. As far he knew, no one had ever seen a killer outside of a trial and if they had, well… they likely weren’t alive to talk about their charming experience.

The young man stuck to the path with soft footsteps. Despite his belief one could never be too careful, and he didn’t like to disturb the lively animals of the night around him. His spirit was calm by nature and he was glad for it; it came in handy for the trials.

Jake walked his path for several minutes in calm bliss before something struck him as odd. He definitely should have been back at the campfire by now; the trial wasn’t that long as per the Entity’s design. He knew the trail like he knew the ones back home where he spent hours and hours wandering and foraging for various herbs and berries; there was no way he’d taken a wrong turn. Jake was sure of his abilities as an outdoorsman.

He decided to stop and leaned against the trunk of a large oak to gather his thoughts. If he hadn’t taken a wrong turn, was it possible that the Entity was rearranging the landscape? Everything had looked the same when Jake entered into the forest despite the fog. Perhaps the Entity was messing him instead.

“Fuck off,” Jake muttered bitterly, outraged at the thought.

Jake pushed off of the tree with a start and took more confident strides along the path, his boots sinking softly into the muddier parts of the trail. He needed to get back; his friends were counting on him and probably worried. Dwight no doubt was waiting for him at the fire if his earlier exchange with the anxious man was any indicator of his interest.

They really needed to talk about that.

“—hhg, oh fuck.” Jake found himself almost face down in thick mud that sucked onto his clothes. Curling his fingers, the young man found himself able to grip into the soggy soil just enough to push himself onto his knees. He reflexively wiped his hands on his pants, worsening their appearance for sure, and glanced up.

And all of the blood that had bloomed under his cheeks from thoughts of Dwight drained, leaving the face of a ghost behind.

That mask staring back at him was all the warning Jake Park needed. He scrambled to find purchase in the mud, using the balance he had from one boot nearly drowned in mud to swing back and away from the serial killer.

Michael Myers stood still, ever patient, as he watched Jake’s effort to put distance between them. His signature weapon was nowhere in sight, but that was little reassurance to Jake, who had heard from Laurie herself about the monster’s supernatural strength.

The darkness emanating from Myers was so apparent that Jake almost couldn’t move as the man took a step towards him.

_Move._

Another step.

_Move…_

That white mask floated through the air like an apparition towards him, taunting and promising despair.

Another step.

_God, move!_

Death was coming.

_Move…!_

Every single muscle in the saboteur strained to dodge the very sudden grab at his face. The survivalist hissed through his teeth as he sidestepped Myers and took off running past him, barely avoiding the powerful suction of the mud below him.

Jake didn’t have to look behind him to know that Myers was already trailing after him. There was no pulsating music of horror in his ears this time. No thudding heartbeat but his own racing in his chest. Just the darkness of Myers as he stalked.

“Shit.” The saboteur veered off the trail, crashing over fallen logs covered in thick mosses and snapping smaller twigs under his boots. He needed to break line of sight from the killer and put as much distance between them or he was going to be dead.

Oh god, he was going to die alone in the fog, just like the imagined survivors from his mind who met killers outside of trails.

Jake sprinted through the fog, bracing his arm against his face to protect it from the scratch of thorns. It helped only so much, and he felt the sting of a tree branch against his cheek and the thick ooze of blood, pulling a soft moan of pain from him.

Testing fate, Jake glanced behind him. Myers was still walking after him, taking simple steps around and over logs and bushes. It would have almost been a serene sight if said being wasn’t trying to murder him in the forest.

Jake was growing tired and fast; he needed a new plan. Outrunning Myers, a supernatural being from an alternative time in history, clearly wasn’t going to end with him living.

But would he actually die, as in, remain dead?

What if the Entity didn’t resurrect him like it did for them all after the trials? It would explain why no survivor could tell the tale of meeting a killer outside in the fog.

Purely speculation, but the thought nearly petrified the young man.

He kept moving as swiftly as his body and the elements of the forest would allow, dodging behind thicker trees and bushes at every opportunity. He had to hope that it would throw the stalker off his trail until he could figure out a way back to the safety of the campfire. Jake suddenly stopped, whipped his body around a large tree, and sank to the ground in an uncomfortable crouch.

His breathing was labored but silent with his lip wedged between his teeth. With his eyes screwed shut, Jake could only hear the soft thud of boots on the ground as Myers ghosted past his hiding spot. He slowly opened his eyes to the killer’s retreating back and sighed with a shaky breath.

I have to get back, the saboteur repeated miserably in his mind. He had to warn the others that Myers was in the fog and out for blood. There was no guarantee that the campfire location—their only safe space—was safe anymore. It was beginning to look like the others were right about something being just _wrong_ in the Entity's realm. He wasn't sure if they would be relieved to have their suspicions confirmed or scared of what it meant. Both reactions would be appropriate. 

Jake slowly straightened himself from his crouched position and looked in the direction of the trail. He kept an excellent mental map of his pattern of crazed running and was sure of the path’s location. Now he just had to clear the thickness of the forest to get back to it.

“Jake?”

The saboteur would have screamed if he wasn’t familiar with the voice calling out to him timidly and unsure.

He turned, expecting to see Michael Myers, and was greeted by the smaller frame of Dwight Fairfield. Jake couldn’t have been happier to see the nervous wreck. The other man was also covered in small scratches on his arms and face and his pants were coated in a thin layer of mud. He looked a little worse for wear.

“Dwight… hey, we need to fucking get out of here.” There was no time for their sweet reunion. They had to get the Hell out of the fog.

“Wait—Jake,” Dwight started as the saboteur caught his wrist. “I don’t know where we are.”

“I do.” Jake said shortly with a jerk of his head. “Come on.”

The leader chewed on his lip and nodded, falling in step with the survivalist as they headed back to the trail. Really, it was pure luck and coincidence that he’d been able to find Jake in the Entity’s forest of horror. Dwight trusted his instincts when he saw a figure darting off to the side of the trail and dodging between trees; no one else would do that but a survivor.

His solitary survivor.

Dwight’s heart thumped in his chest and the touch on his wrist felt all too intimate. He swallowed and let Jake lead him for a while more before he sighed and tugged his arm back, casting his eyes to the forest floor.

Both men halted and the forest was silent. Jake’s eyes were on him, questioning. “Jake, I need to tell you something here. Now.”

For a moment, all of the tension that the survivalist felt melted away and he felt oddly calm. Myers had gone off in the complete opposite direction from there and without the trial perks to aid him, Jake doubted the stalker would be finding his way back to them soon. He let his shoulders relax and cocked his head.

“What is it, Dwight?” His voice was low. He already knew and so did Dwight. They just had to say it out loud for the Entity to hear—for them to hear. For the forest and all the creatures within it to hear.

Dwight lingered in his spot and folded his arms over his chest as if such an action would protect him from the embarrassment he felt. There was something else there too—shame? It was bad timing, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had to tell Jake; Jake had to know about his feelings now or the words would never come out.

“Jake Park,” The leader whispered to the wind pushing gently against his face. “I love you. I’ve grown to love you the more we’re together here… in this eternal hell. I don’t expect you to feel the same but I—I had to tell you now.”

Jake swallowed thickly and words felt foreign to him. There was something in his throat.

And then there was something _in_ his throat.

The pointed blade was suddenly visible and glinting in the moonlight before a torrent of blood sprayed from the saboteur’s severed artery. Behind him, death was standing calmly with a white, unfeeling face. Jake’s arm shakily came up to his neck and then dropped. A strangled and gargled gasp left his throat and Dwight, not immune to the mutilation of his friends and the one he loved, screamed in terror and backed up against a tree.

Myers lifted the shaking body of all of Dwight’s affection by the blade of the knife stuck in his throat. A gaping hole ripped open in the flesh of Jake’s neck and another, more faint gargle came from his mangled throat. The saboteur’s eyes were locked on Dwight and glazed over.

“Oh god—”

Dwight choked back a sob and couldn’t find it in himself to run. He was the reason Jake was finally dead for good, and he would be soon to follow.

Myers was a callous reaper with the way he tossed Jake’s body aside, using only his inhuman grip on the knife to do so.

It landed with a heavy thud; the last nail in the coffin for Dwight. Myers immediately started towards him, bloodied knife raised aggressively and poised to strike. Dwight flinched against the tree, fingers gripping against the bark, and readied himself for his punishment, for the consequences of asking Jake to stop in the middle of the Entity’s fog.

He deserved to die.

The thought didn’t stop the sob that he gave when he was sure that the knife was coming down on him. But then it wasn’t.

Dwight picked up the sound of the killer’s pained breaths and felt liquid warmth on his face. Unsure and utterly terrified, the leader forced one eye open and found it was hard to accomplish with—blood?—covering his face.

It wasn’t his blood.

Dwight smeared the blood from his eyes with his hand and blinked hard, meeting a sight almost too gruesome to stomach. The spidery tendrils of the Entity itself were at every angle in and out of the Shape’s body. They were absolutely drenched in the being’s blood and seemed to flare an angry red color. And then they ripped out of Myer’s body and he fell to the ground, clearly in pain and unable to move from his knees. The Entity’s appendages were lurking in the darkness around Myers, angrily waving and whispering, but ultimately ignoring Dwight and his horrified face.

The leader sniffed, wiped his eyes again to rid himself of his own tears, and then looked to where Jake was laying on the ground. He cast another quick glance to Myers and the angry tendrils before drifting over to the saboteur’s body and sinking beside it in defeat. Jake was pale and still, and his neck was covered in blood that continued to spill from the massive wound in his throat.

“I don’t know what to do,” Dwight whispered in an angry yet scared panic. He placed both hands over the man’s neck, against the warm, sticky blood, and bit his lip. “Help me… Jake, help me—I can’t do this!”

The blood wouldn’t stop. Dwight couldn’t feel even the faintest trace of a pulse from the survivalist’s neck and let out a strangled, animalistic sob. He whipped his head around to eye Myers where he remained on the ground, surrounded by angry spider’s legs.

“Fuck you! Go die, you—you disgusting fuck!” The leader shouted, uncaring if the Entity saw or took notice. Uncaring if Myers could understand him or not.

When the rage was gone, and his chest filled with quiet breaking, Dwight hung his head. His hands slowly left Jake’s neck but were freshly coated in the man’s blood; no amount of scrubbing would ever take the sensation away, he was sure.

Dwight didn’t know how he was going to explain the loss of one of their own to the others. Maybe it would be better if he didn’t. Maybe he could stay here, suffer the wrath of either Myers or the Entity and die for good…

“—ghhh.”

Dwight opened his eyes at the sound to see the color in Jake’s face return and his lips attempting to form words.

“Oh—” Dwight was breathless. “Jake! Holy shit...”

The leader was immediately over him, watching fearfully as the younger male strained against the ground with labored, strangled breathing. Blood was pouring from the wound in his neck, but it slowly ebbed off as the flesh started to draw together in some kind of grotesque knitting pattern. The hoarse screaming turned to loud, painful shrieking as the Entity continued its life-saving repair of the survivalist and said man continued to writhe in agony for several minutes, his hand finding Dwight’s and crushing it.

“I’m here for you. I’m here and you’re okay, I promise.” Dwight repeated this like a mantra, mostly reassuring himself that Jake was going to be fine. Pain-induced sweat slickened the younger man’s face and Dwight used his shirt sleeve to wipe some of it away. Eventually, the screaming turned to quieted whimpering and then to just labored breathing as the saboteur came back from the very real plane of death.

He was confused, scared, and relieved all the same. His throat was sore and felt too… new? Artificial? Jake couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling. He didn’t fight against Dwight’s attempt to raise him from the ground and leaned heavily against the older man.

Across from them, Myers was still on the ground on his knees, covered in blood with pieces of flesh from the wounds the Entity tore into him hidden in the bloody grass. Dwight turned his head away to quell the urge to vomit and tightened his grip around Jake’s waist.

“We’re getting out of here. I promise.” The determined gaze Jake received put him at ease. He knew they were getting out alive this time, by the grace of the Entity or whatever actual god existed that was watching out for them.

The saboteur nodded breathlessly, exhausted from the ordeal and shaken. But he couldn’t stop himself from looking back at the form behind them—at Michael Myers. Something in his chest hurt at the sight of the man sitting defeated on the ground, covered in his own gore and blood. The Entity clearly wasn’t done with him yet.

The pale mask stared back at him, though. It never betrayed the Shape’s expression and feelings if he had any, Jake thought bitterly with disgust as he came to realize what had just transpired.

Jake Park didn’t fear the reaper yet.


End file.
